With offices in Ipswich and London, the UK’s Green Spark Productions works on a wide variety of engagements with an increasing emphasis on meetings, conferences and awards ceremonies.
Visual unobtrusiveness as well as sound quality are pivotal priorities for audio in the corporate space, and it was with this in mind that Green Spark recently acquired multiple portable line array systems from Italian manufacturer K-array.
“We had been a long-time user of another brand for our corporate engagements, but in truth the speakers looked a bit clunky in that context – they were too intrusive on an aesthetic level,” says Ben Annas, production manager at Green Spark. “Over time it was clear that we were doing more and more corporate events, so the need for a compact and attractive-looking system became increasingly apparent.”
Fortunately, the seed of a suitable solution had already been planted several years previously when Annas and his team worked on a project at King’s College at the University of Cambridge. “They had a K-array system there that we ended up using for a job, and we were very impressed,” he says. “We realized that this was the direction that we wanted to go in, not least because the system blended so seamlessly in to the room.”
Fast-forward several years and a demo was arranged via UK K-array distributor 2B Heard that revolved around the Pinnacle KR202 loudspeaker system. Devised to enable ease of set-up and transportation, the KR202 comprises a pair of Thunder-KMT18 18-inch subwoofers matched to two Kobra KK102 line array loudspeakers.
The system features sixteen 2-inch neodymium magnetic transducers, 130 dB continuous (136 dB peak) output, line array emission wavefront, onboard DSP with dedicated presets, and RS485 and USB connectivity for remote control.
As Annas recalls, 2B Heard director Sam Nankivell “drove the KR202 to our warehouse for a demo and we were so impressed that we kept the system. He really took the time to explain the system and outline its capabilities to us, and it became clear that it was an ideal fit for a variety of corporate work. We were also taken by the fast set-up and dismantling capabilities because time-pressure is frequently an important consideration in this project area.”
Having acquired one unit of KR202, Green Spark decided to add to its K-array inventory over the following months with a unit each of KR102 and KR402.
The KR102 features a pair of Thunder-KMT12 12-inch subs matched to Kobra KK102 line array columns, and the system has already more than proven its worth for small-group scenarios.
“It is absolutely perfect for the smaller gatherings in meeting rooms and hotels, up to the 100-guest mark,” says Annas. “It’s an awesome set-up, very quick to implement, and there isn’t necessarily any need to use a mixing desk for the more straightforward events. You can just connect up a laptop and radio mic, and off you go. It’s really easy to use.”
Providing the ability to handle medium-to-large gatherings with hundreds of delegates, Green Spark has also acquired the KR402, comprising a pair of Thunder KMT21 21-inch subs matched to two Python KP102 columns, each boasting a dozen 3.15-inch Neodymium magnets with 1-inch voice coils. Once again, the system has “been pretty consistently busy since we bought it,” says Annas.
Although the minimal visual impact of the K-array systems is a definite asset – “a lot of clients don’t even spot them” – the ability to mix and match the arrays with a minimum of fuss thanks to the straightforward adjustable pole mounting systems has also been a source of satisfaction.
“We often combine, say, the KR202 and KR402 systems for some of our projects,” says Annas. “Other times we might send out the KR202 on its own and be confident that it can cater for up to 300 to 350 people – with some delays in place if needs be.” To which end, Green Spark has also added four K-array KK52 passive loudspeakers to its stock for general front-fill and delay purposes.
Several months on from the K-array purchases, Annas reports that the Green Spark team is “delighted by the performance of the systems” and expects to change-out more corporate-oriented stock for the Italian manufacturer’s products in the near-future. He is also effusive in his praise for the support of the 2B Heard team, describing Nankivell as “awesome. We had a minor technical issue the other day and he was straight on the phone, discussing it at length and helping us to find a resolution. The assistance we have received from 2B Heard has been fantastic.”
